American Skier Hunter Hess Says Trump Post Led to ‘Two Hardest Weeks’ of His Life

For Hunter Hess, the Olympics were supposed to be about speed, air and survival of the halfpipe. Instead, the American freestyle skier found himself engulfed by a political firestorm after President Trump labeled him “a loser” after the Olympian said he had “mixed emotions” about representing Team USA.Mr. Hess said he endured “probably the two hardest weeks” of his life after Mr. Trump’s post on Truth Social went viral. Conservative pundits on cable news and social media quickly seized his remarks, essentially branding him unpatriotic and questioning whether he was worthy of wearing the red, white and blue.“I worked so hard to be here,” Mr. Hess said after qualifying for the men’s halfpipe final. “I sacrificed my entire life to make this moment happen. I’m not going to let a controversy like that get in my way. I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough. I’m so happy to be here, so happy to represent Team USA and ride as much as I can.”Mr. Hess and several other American Olympians drew the ire of conservatives after being asked how they felt about representing their country amid heightened political tensions in the United States, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and the deaths of two protesters in Minnesota.Mr. Hess responded candidly saying, there was “a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of” and that wearing the red, white and blue wasn’t necessarily endorsing every government action. “Just because I wear the flag it doesn’t mean I represent everything that is going on in the U.S.,” he said.Overnight, he became more famous than he intended with social media posts telling him to go home and Mr. Trump echoing that he “shouldn’t have tried out for the team.”Amid the social media onslaught, Mr. Hess quietly left Italy and continued training with the U.S. halfpipe team in Switzerland and leaned heavily on family support. “It was pretty distracting,” he said. “I had a week that was pretty challenging. I’ve never been subject to that type of criticism. But with my family’s help. I was able to get through it. And skiing has saved my life, time and time again, and it seems to have done so again.”Despite the backlash, Mr. Hess didn’t retract his words. “I stand with what I said,” he said. “I love the United States of America. I cannot reiterate that enough.”Mr. Hess was hardly alone. Other Americans grappled with patriotism and protest, reminiscent of the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City where track medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised a gloved fist on the podium to protest the treatment of black Americans.When American snowboard star Chloe Kim was asked about Mr. Trump calling Mr. Hess “a loser,” she defended her fellow Olympian. “I’m really proud to represent the United States,” she said. “The U.S. has given my family and I so much opportunity. But I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions with what’s going on. I think we need to lead with love and compassion, and I would love to see some more of that.”Fellow snowboarder Maddie Mastro also stressed her pride in representing the U.S. while adding she was “saddened with what is happening at home,” but still believed the country’s core values include “kindness and compassion.”Figure skater Amber Glenn, who has identified publicly as pansexual and is proponent of LGBTQ rights said she plans to continue to use her platform, “to encourage people to stay strong.”As the social and political commentary continues as Mr. Trump was exploring the possibility of attending the Gold Medal game in men’s hockey on should the U.S. qualify for the final. The Americans met Slovakia in the semifinals on Friday.

American Skier Hunter Hess Says Trump Post Led to ‘Two Hardest Weeks’ of His Life

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